The present invention relates to a process and an apparatus for processing printing products, such as newspapers and periodicals.
A process and an apparatus of this type are known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,748,793. The apparatus has two fingers which are arranged symmetrically with respect to an axis of rotation and between which a printing product, e.g. a newspaper, is inserted manually. For alignment, one edge of the printing product is brought to bear against a stop parallel to the axis of rotation. Upon turning the fingers about the axis of rotation, the printing product is rolled up around the fingers, it being pressed against the fingers by means of pressing rollers arranged underneath the fingers. Above the fingers there is a supply device for feeding a film-like retaining element. This retaining element is wound up together with the printing product and sheathes the rolled-up printing product by its section projecting beyond the end of the printing product. The pack thus formed is then manually drawn off the fingers.
A further pack-forming unit, in which a printing product is wound up together with a film-like retaining element to form a tube-like portable pack, is described in the older Swiss Patent Application No. 01440/92-0 and corresponding U.S. application Ser. No. 08/057,537 and published European Application EP-A-0 568 844. This unit has a slit winding mandrel, into which the printing product can be introduced by means of a belt conveying arrangement together with a retaining element gripping around the leading edge. The winding mandrel rests on the belt conveying arrangement, which during turning of the winding mandrel supports the latter and the printing product, in order to bend it around the winding mandrel. As soon as the section of the retaining element projecting beyond the trailing edge of the printing product is also wound up, the winding mandrel is moved out in the axial direction from the pack thus formed and the pack is conveyed away, by the belt conveying arrangement continuing to be driven and by stopping a pressing device of a ribbon conveyor type bearing against the pack.
An apparatus in which printing products generated in imbricated formation are rolled up and sheathed by a film-like retaining element is known from EP-A-0 313 781 and the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,909,015. The packs formed therein, which can be handled manually, are pushed off the winding mandrel by means of an ejector and fed to a supporting table.
Further apparatuses for forming tube-like packs from printing products and a retaining element keeping the latter together are disclosed in EP-A-0474999 or the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 5,101,610 and EP-A-0 243 906 or the corresponding U.S. Pat. No. 4,811,548.
It is an object of the present invention to develop the known process further and to provide a corresponding apparatus in such a way that the packs can be handled particularly simply for simple further processing.